All this week I’ve been writing about finding value with social media. Social media as a mainstream communication is already ten years old if we start the clock from 2006 when Twitter began. In that time, it’s seen an explosion of growth but as it becomes more mainstream is it’s attraction and value wearing off?

I don’t think so. I think more people are simply using social media in a way that suits them. I know that my own way of using social media has changed over the years. No longer am I sending over 20 updates a day. I keep my interaction down to a minimum preferring to only dip into my timeline a few times a day. Sure I might miss something, but I gave up on staying on top of my timeline a long time ago. It just isn’t possible.

There’s also the changing landscape of social media. In the beginning there were people. Just people chatting away and sharing links, pictures and other content. Then the corporate companies got wind of the possibility of getting the brands and products in front of these millions of people. I’d like to say it’s a good thing, but the use of ads as a revenue stream is a poor way of ensuring your startup is profitable unless this is the startup’s business plan from day one.

Then there’s the new kids on the block. Snapchat is fast becoming as popular as Twitter and Instagram (from what the kids tell me), but I think I’ll stick with what I know. That is until they are eventually surpassed by other social media platforms.

There’s still value in social media, but it needs like anything else, time spent curating the good from the bad, managing your time on social media wisely and knowing the limits of social media. That's how you get value from social media.